Podcast Episodes

A storm of science

As rescue and relief efforts in the Caribbean are ongoing after Hurricane Melissa, Unexpected Elements looks at the science of storms.

We explore how…

4 months, 2 weeks ago

A science heist

The daylight robbery of precious crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris has us stealing your attention to inspect heists and crime scenes in sc…

4 months, 3 weeks ago

How does biometric data work?

Europe has a new entry/exit system based on biometric data. But what exactly is the science behind biometric data, how can we ensure it’s used respon…

5 months ago

Why are gold prices so high?

Record high gold prices have us looking at the science of inflation, why gold is leaking from volcanoes, and entomologist Katy Prudic explains why sh…

5 months, 1 week ago

The strongest stuff in the Universe

Egyptian strongman Ashraf Mahrous recently pulled two ships totalling 1,150 tonnes with his teeth, setting his sights on the Guinness World Record. I…

5 months, 2 weeks ago

Science inspired by Taylor Swift

The launch of Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, has inspired this week’s episode of Unexpected Elements.

Firs…

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Two-hundred years of trains

This week marks 200 years since the first steam train pulled passengers over 26 miles of north-east England’s countryside, and started a revolution. …

6 months ago

Pirate science ahoy!

For International Talk Like a Pirate Day on 19th September, we dig up a treasure chest full of pirate-inspired science.

First up, we peer down our mic…

6 months, 1 week ago

Some dam awesome science

The inauguration of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam has us looking at how we decide when, where, and even whether to build dams.

But humans aren’t …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Punk rock science

A dinosaur with metre-long spikes has been discovered. The species, Spicomellus afer, is from the Jurassic Period and is the oldest example of a grou…

6 months, 3 weeks ago